1. Field of the Invention
Orthodontics is a specialty of dentistry dealing with the correction of a patient's bite and alignment of a patient's teeth. Currently, orthodontic appliances apply forces to the teeth of the patient. These forces physically shift the patient's teeth with precise and complex movements, to conform the teeth to a model created by the orthodontist or a laboratory specifically suited to the purpose.
2. Description of Related Art
Active treatment of the bite historically involved cementing brackets onto the teeth with one or more arch wires attached. While these brackets are unattractive, they have shown that a wire can be used to rapidly move teeth. The present invention relates to the field of orthodontics. In particular, the invention relates to an orthodontic appliance which comprises a wired imbedded in a plastic matrix.
Teeth are generally repositioned by wearing braces, which include brackets, ligatures, O-rings and archwires. Archwires are wires firmly attached to the brackets and are used to exert a force on teeth either on the lingual side or on the labial side. Recently, apparati have been developed which use a flexible thermoplastic that fit entirely over the upper and/or the lower bridge. However, these apparati have only a limited ability to move teeth.
An orthodontic appliance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,310,340 to Zedda. In Zedda, the appliance has a base and support element in which a steel wire extends from the base and support element to a synthetic resin bracket cemented to a tooth. Another orthodontic appliance is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,536,169 to Yousefian. In Yousefian, The appliance includes a plurality of arcurate polymer strips which includes a wire extending through the length of the strips with transverse adjusting segments. The appliance requires a lingual strip and a labial strip of polymer.
An orthodontic retainer is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,994,068 to Goshgarian. In Goshgarian, the retainer includes loops outside the body of the device for accurate adjustment on the labial side of the teeth. U.S. Pat. No. 4,299,568 to Crowley describes an orthodontic retainer in which wires contact tooth surface, and which includes palatial overlays. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,695 to Bergersen teaches a device with a wire that has a sharp and jutting bend. Moreover, the wire is bent and otherwise adjusted after the appliance is made and fitted for the patient. U.S. Pat. No. 4,413,978 to Kurz describes a retainer with wire hooks anchoring the retainer to molars, and has a wire cemented to the person's arch. U.S. Pat. No. 5,975,893 to Chishti, et al., teaches a clear plastic orthodontic device fitted over all of the patient's teeth which slowly moves the teeth through a system of plastic appliances. However, Chishti only teaches the inefficient and slow use of force on the patient's teeth that is intrinsic to the resiliency in the plastic that forms the appliance.
The prior art inventions either attach brackets directly to the teeth or comprise a plastic device that slowly moves the teeth around the bridge. Also, prior art devices require clasps for the wire to be attached to the device. Prior art inventions also include devices that are costly and difficult to manufacture. Permanently attached braces are unsightly, inconvenient when eating or speaking and may cause discoloration or even pain to the patient. The speed by which the prior art plastic devices move teeth is limited by the rigidity of the plastic used. Not even modern plastics can provide sufficient force to quickly reorient the alignment of the teeth or the bite of a patient.
A need exists in the field of orthodontic devices for an easy to manufacture device which quickly moves teeth into an orthodontically advantageous orientation. A need also exists for a device that is clear and therefore invisible to others and which is relatively pain free when worn. The need also exists for a device which allows the chewing surface of the front teeth or the labial side of the front teeth to be exposed while the appliance is worn. Moreover, the need also exists for a removable orthodontic device with a wire imbedded in the lingual surface, providing the advantage of a flexible, clear device with the benefit of one or more wires to provide invisible force on the teeth. There is also a need for a succession of these devices incorporating wires, allowing intricate movement of the patient's teeth. Additionally, there is a need for a method for making these devices.
The instant invention has been directed to the effective resolution of the aforementioned shortcomings and to the meeting of the aforementioned needs.